Now, it's probably better to use use instead, since use directives are processed earlier, and all you have to do to convert "data_defs.pl" to a useable module is to to rename it to "data_defs.pm" (that name is contrary to conventions but it'll work all the same).

I disagree. Modules can be required or used multiple times, but data_defs.pl cannot. To convert data_defs.pl to a module, you'll also need to add a package declaration, which means you'll also need to import the variables from the module use access them via their qualified names.

If you want the loading to occur earlier, use 

BEGIN { do 'data_defs.pl' or die "Can't load data defs: " . ($@||$!); 
+}

[download]

In reply to Re^2: Require in modules...? by ikegami
in thread Require in modules...? by DickieC

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post, it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":


  • Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!
  • Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.
  • Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.
  • Please read these before you post! —
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:
    a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr
  • You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)
            For:     Use:
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    [ &#91;
    ] &#93;
  • Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?
  • See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.